Illumination
by Miko Akako
Summary: Light decides to solve the case of L's parents. Can anyone anticipate what he will find? Sequel to "Asylum."
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: This is a sequel to my completed story "Asylum." While you don't have to read that one first, it will make much more sense if you do. **

**Story: **Illumination  
**Author:** MikoAkako  
**Beta: **ElizabellaLight (Read everything by her. Seriously. I don't think this would have gotten done without her.)  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings: **Suggestive language.  
**Pairing(s):** Light/L ; Mello/Matt  
**Word count:** 3,651  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize.  
**Summary:** Light decides to solve the case of L's parents. Can anyone anticipate what he will find?

**A/N: **Just want to thank everyone for being so patient. I originally intended to complete this story before I posted it, but decided that wouldn't work, since I relied so much on your comments for "Asylum" to make adjustments as I went. This will be my first full length story done in the third person, so please let me know what you think of that.

**A/N-2:** This story takes place in the middle of November, assuming L burned the note at the end of October and "Asylum" spanned approximately three months (I may be wrong on this). Which means that "Asylum" ended approximately at the end of January.  
**A/N-3: **I adjusted Light and Sayu's age(I aged them both two years so they are 20 and 18 respectively). Mello, Matt, and Near are also 18, just to keep everything equal. L will also be aged two years(so he is 27 and not 25). Just pretend the events of Death Note took place in 05/06 instead of 03/04. Therefore this story will take place in November of 2007(just shy of 1 year after the end of Asylum).

* * *

Sometimes, Light was still surprised with where his life had taken him. Two years ago he'd been a normal boy in university; if it was normal to have memorized the text books before classes even started, plus a few read on the side for 'fun'. Then he'd picked up a notebook off the ground and everything had started to spiral out of control. One seemingly insignificant notebook had destroyed his life. Except…

Except; if his life hadn't been destroyed, then his life wouldn't be where it was at now. He would be in school, close to graduating or just graduated if he managed the accelerated course load he had intended to take. A job would have been waiting for him with the Japanese Police, and he would follow his father's footsteps and become an Investigator in the darker crimes. He would have succumbed to Kiyomi Takada and gone out with her, likely marrying her simply because it would have been expected of him, and he wouldn't have had a reason to say no. His life would have been unbearably boring, and would have continued to be unbearably boring until his death.

He glanced sideways under his bangs at the man beside him, a soft smile playing on his lips. The man seemed oblivious to him, hunched over and scratching the ground with one tennis-shoe clad foot. Light took advantage of the moment to admire the other man. He was tall, two inches taller than Light's 5'8; when he wasn't slouched over. His black hair was disheveled, giving him a distinctly boyish appearance. He was dressed casually, dark wash jeans snug but not skin tight and a white long sleeve shirt to guard against the biting cold. Looking at him, no one would guess he was actually the world's three most famous detectives.

"What is Light-kun looking at me for?" He asked, lifting his gaze to meet Light's honey colored eyes, startling the younger man.

L's life had fallen into a boring pattern since he'd become a detective at the tender age of 16. Boring and isolated. He had no companion save the old man who had raised him. The only other people who knew of his identity were not friends. Two of them were vultures waiting for him to die so they could fill his role and the other resented his very existence. His name was known around the world, he had access to every government, millions of pounds – dollars – yen – euros – were wired to his various bank accounts every year. He wanted for nothing materialistic. He wasn't even aware he wanted for anything until he'd met Light.

He looked over at the boy beside him, taking advantage of catching Light off guard to study him. Light's soft auburn hair obscured his eyes slightly only to be brushed aside absentmindedly. Light's features were decidedly more feminine, with his open, expressive eyes and soft lips that were no longer constantly pulled tight. Light was always dressed well, and today was no exception. He wore a charcoal dress pants, paired with a white silk shirt. Light had insisted on dressing nicely for their meeting, though L insisted what the agent thought of them would have no impact on the price they would pay.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Light asked, tearing his eyes away from the detective and scanning the street. Wammy had dropped them off, since Light hadn't had time to get a driver's license, and L stubbornly refused to get his.

"Of course," L said easily. It had been almost ten months since they'd returned from Japan; since they had officially announced their relationship. "Is Light-kun having doubts?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Can't get rid of me that easily." Before any more could be said, they spotted a woman in a pinstripe suit and skirt walking towards them. She was short and on the plump side. Her hair was done up in a bun, but there were pieces of hair sticking out at odd angles. She carried a notebook with papers sticking out.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Light!" She said, stopping to catch her breath. "You must be Ryuzaki! Light talks about you all the time." She offered a hand and L took it briefly, awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it, Brianne," Light said, catching the folder as it slid from her grip. "Are you sure you have time today?" Despite her disheveled appearance, Light knew Brianne was brilliant. She was a single mother, attending University with Light. She was a literary genius, pursuing her dream of becoming a literary critic. Until then, she worked to support herself and her five year old daughter.

They had met when, after the second class, Light saw a notebook left lying under a desk. Deciding the likelihood of a repeat of the last time he'd picked up a notebook to be slightly less than zero – not to mention this one was bright pink with the words "Lit. Crit." written in careful cursive on the front – he snagged it and asked the few class mates left if it belonged to them. No one claimed it so he stuck it in his bag and resolved to return it the next class. He'd almost forgotten about it when L found it in his stack of books. He normally wouldn't read something that belonged to someone else, but he opened it to try and find a clue of who it belonged to. The name "Brianne Davies" was written in permanent marker on the inside cover, along with a phone number and a request to call if it should be found.

He'd called immediately, and been greeted with a screaming child in the background and a woman's voice he could barely hear. It took several minutes to get her to hear why he was calling, but when he did, she sounded relieved. They'd met up the next day and wound up spending an hour discussing Ihab Hassan, the literary critic they were studying. It was a shock to Light, who normally wouldn't have even considered speaking to someone like Brianne. That is – unorganized and unkempt. He'd found himself changing a lot since moving to England; since falling in love with L.

"I was leaving when my contact emailed me about this new place that just came on the market. I think it'll be perfect for the two of you. I had to pull the file and print it, and call to get the access code to the key," She started walking, grabbing her notebook back from Light, and the two men followed her.

"Is there a reason we have to go so quickly?" L asked, glancing over at Light who shrugged at his friends eccentricities.

"It's priced well under its value. If you want to make an offer, you'll have to get the paperwork done quickly," She turned down another street, slowing slightly. "I saw you weren't preapproved so if you…"

"I've inherited money," L said, cutting her off. "We will be paying with a check." She did a double take, slowing even further and narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well that's a horse of a different color," She said, smiling. "To be honest, my rival in the company is showing the house in two hours – her client is out of the city until tonight – and if it sells, I'd like to be the one to sell it."

"How much is it listed for?" Light asked. He was willing to accept L's offer to buy the house, grudgingly, but L was persuasive.

"It's up for £200,000, but it's easily worth £150,000 more," They stopped in front of a beige townhouse, a white picket fence surrounding it, and Light jerked to a stop while the other two moved on ahead of him. L realized he had stopped and glance back at him.

"Something wrong, Light-kun?" He asked. Brianne had stopped as well, watching their interaction with a smile on her lips. She had seen expressions like the one on Light's face many times.

"It's so…domestic," Light said. His look of horror turned into one of delight. "It looks perfect, Brianne." L watched the younger man, amused though he wasn't showing it.

"Would you like to see the inside before you decide if it's perfect or not?" She asked, opening the gate and letting L and Light go ahead of her. She opened the door and ushered them inside.

The ground floor consisted of a living room, kitchen, dining area, and a conservatory. The first was two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study. The top floor was the master suite. The whole place had been painted a generic off white, and the floors needed to be redone along with the kitchen. It would be a project, but the structure was sound so they could be living in it while the upgrades were made.

"So I'll let you guys think about it, and you can let me know what you decide," Brianne said as they walked back outside. She shook their hands and left them to discuss what they wanted to do.

* * *

"Are you planning on doing any of the packing?" Light called from where he was currently buried in boxes and newspaper. The check had cleared a week before, and Light had picked up the key from Brianne at their Wednesday night class two days previously. All that was left was to pack up their belongings from the house they had been living in.

"Light-kun seems to be doing just fine without me," L said, perched on the bed with a piece of cake in one hand and a fork in another.

"Whatever, L," Light said, sighing and wrapping the alarm clock in a few layers of newspaper and placing it in a box. "The movers are coming in three hours and if we're not finished they'll just leave. I suppose you're in no hurry to leave this place?" For his part, Light couldn't get out of this place soon enough. There were many good memories, but most of them were tainted with residue of the bad.

"I do not understand Light-kun's hurry," L said, ignoring Light's eye roll in favor of taking another bite of cake.

"I just…I want to leave the past in the past," Light said, taping up the box he was working on and standing up. "Plus, driving an hour to get to class isn't convenient." When they had returned to England Light had enrolled in Cambridge University to finish his undergraduate degree in psychology then go on to Law school. At first he had been hesitant about bringing the subject up, knowing that there was every chance for L to say it was too dangerous. To his surprise, L had agreed immediately, even driving with Light to visit the campus and meeting with the admissions councilor.

Now he was in his second semester with two left until he finished his degree. L's house was just north of London, and Light was commuting three days a week. The house was in the suburbs of Cambridge, so it would be a short walk to the school. On the rare occasions when L was needed in London, Wammy had agreed to pick him up. That was another reason Light had been worried about asking L to move. L lived with Wammy since he was a child and Wammy needed to stay close to his school. But again, L didn't seem to have any reservations about it. Light even went so far as to ask him if he realized Wammy wouldn't be coming with them.

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that Mello and Matt are at Cambridge?" Light chuckled at L's observation, putting together another box.

"I may have told Matt I'd have lunch with him tomorrow," Light admitted. When they'd turned eighteen, Mello and Matt had applied to the University and been accepted – Matt as a Computer Programming and Math double major and Mello doing pre-Law. Matt and Light had become fast friends, spending time together when L consulted with Mello and Near on several cases. Matt and Light had been invited to join the detectives, but neither were interested enough to deal with Mello and Near's constant bickering.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with Matt lately," L said, biting his thumb after setting the empty plate on a stack of boxes. Light hummed in agreement, stacking sheets and towels in the box. L frowned slightly, trying to get Light's attention. "Does Light-kun enjoy spending time with Matt?"

"Yeah," Light said, trying to shove the last sheet into the already full box. "Matt's great." He kept his weight on the box with one elbow and managed to get the tape across, using two layers just in case. He rocked back on his heels in triumph. Realizing what L had just asked him, he looked up, smirking at L's ill hidden distress. Deciding he could afford to be distracted, he closed the distance between himself and L, leaning over the bed and kissing L deeply, pushing him back against the headboard and twining his fingers through L's hair.

"Are you jealous, koibito?" He asked, not giving L a chance to answer as he captured the detective's lips again. He pulled away, smirk still in place.

"No," L said. Light chuckled, pulling away.

"Sure you're not," Light agreed, leaving L alone in the bedroom and heading to double check the other rooms. "You could help, you know." He called from the kitchen. The boxes were stacked in the center of the room, labeled in his neat handwriting. Several of the boxes on the bottom were labeled in L's chicken scratch. Light had instantly grabbed the marker from L and declared it off limits to the left-handed detective.

"When do the movers arrive?" L asked, walking out of the bedroom and leaning against the doorframe to watch Light stalk aimlessly around the house. Light looked at his watch, then back at L.

"Two hours," Light said, moving a box from one pile to another for no reason L could see. Deciding Light needed a distraction, and they had plenty of time, L put his hand on another box Light was trying to move.

"Plenty of time then," L said, kissing Light soundly and leading him in the direction of the bedroom. Light resisted halfheartedly, but let L herd him away from the boxes.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Light slid into the chair across from the red head, his cheeks bright from walking quickly. They met at a café just off campus that they had found a few weeks ago, but hadn't had a chance to try. It was a French style café called 'Le Cafe du Coeur', with a few tables outside along the side walk under a navy blue and white striped overhang and separated from the people walking by with an ornate iron fence.

"L kept you busy?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow as he set his game boy on the side of the table. Light was glad his cheeks were bright from his walk, because they would have turned red from embarrassment.

"No," He said a little too quickly. "I was unpacking boxes and didn't check the time." He regained his composure and opened his menu. What he said was mostly true – he had been unpacking boxes when L had suddenly decided he was bored. Frustrated with trying to find a home for everything in their new house, Light had suggested a different activity. He'd only checked the clock in time to shower and hurry out to meet Matt for their one o clock lunch date.

"Mmmhmm," Matt said, looking at his own menu, and then glancing up at Light. "Do you speak French?"

"Oh. Yeah, I do," Light said. The menu was two-sided – one in English and one in French. Light had been reading the French side without realizing it. "English isn't my first language. I'm still not used to speaking it all the time." He didn't bother turning the menu over.

"Impressive," Matt said. "I took French once. Mello sat in front of me, though. Certainly wasn't paying attention to the teacher." Light rolled his eyes at that. He'd never met anyone like Matt and Mello. The two seemed to be made for each other, and yet complete opposites. "What other languages do you know?"

"Japanese, English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese and Korean fluently," He said. "I'm decent at Portuguese and Arabic, but I have to think about them more." Languages were like breathing to Light. He wanted to learn everything, and something as insignificant as language wasn't going to stop him. So he'd spent his allowance on books to teach himself, practicing on tourists he'd met.

"Wow," Matt whistled in appreciation. "You really are a genius, aren't you?" He laughed. "If you'd been an orphan you would've wound up in Wammy's with me and Mel." He put his menu down, examining Light as if for the first time. Light set his menu down shortly after.

"Yeah, yeah," Light said, waving it off. He'd found himself envying his Wammy House friends a few times, until he remembered that to go there, his parents would have to be dead. And while he was ambitious and not entirely satisfied with his own life, he couldn't wish his mother or father dead, let alone his baby sister. "But it all worked out in the end."

"If you call ending up in an insane asylum and nearly killing the man you love 'worked out,' then I agree with you." It had taken Light a while to get used to Matt's bluntness, but now he found it refreshing. His parents still ignored what had happened, and Mello looked at him like he was crazy sometimes.

Thankfully a waitress arrived, sparing Light the need to reply, and took their order, responding in French to Light's order and looking distinctly pleased when Light responded in kind. When asked if he'd ever been to France, Light had to admit he hadn't. The woman – Sophie – complimented him on his pronunciation, flirting outrageously. After a few minutes, Light turned to Matt, apologizing for ignoring him. Catching the hint, she excused herself to put the order in.

"Do people always like you on first impression?" Matt asked. He had watched the exchange with something akin to awe. Being raised in an orphanage, he hadn't spent much time interacting with people he didn't know. While distinctly more social than the rest of the geniuses from Wammy's, Matt still didn't have Light's social graces.

"What can I say? I guess I'm just that charming," Light grinned, leaning back in his chair. They caught up – talking about everything from Matt's classes to Matt and Mello's sex life, the latter was much to Light's horror – and before they realized it their food was finished and the check had come.

"I'm paying," Light said, grabbing the check and pulling out two bills just as the waitress came by and took it. When she'd gone out of earshot again, Light decided to broach the real reason he'd asked Matt to lunch. Before he could say anything, Matt beat him to it.

"Not that I don't love spending time with you, but you sounded like you had something to ask when you called the other day," As always, Matt's intuitiveness took Light by surprise. Rather than deny what they both knew was true, Light decided to come right out and say it.

"Our one year anniversary is coming up soon," Light said. Matt knew better than the interrupt to congratulate Light when he clearly wasn't done speaking. "And I wanted to do something big for him." Light had to pause, wondering how much he could tell Matt about his plans. Deciding it would be easier with two people, he told him everything. "The only case L never solved was the one of his parent's disappearance." Saying murder sounded too violent, and Light noticed how L avoided that word the few times he'd brought it up.

"You want my help?" Matt asked. "What makes you think we can solve a case that even L couldn't solve?" It was a fair point. Intelligent though they were, Matt and Light didn't have the experience L did.

"I think he was afraid of the answer," Light admitted. "And it's entirely likely we won't get anywhere, or it might not be something he'll want to know, but I want to try. And if you're up to it, it'll be something you can hold over Near and Mello." Matt didn't need any more reason than that.

"I'm in," He said, standing as Light did when the waitress brought back their change. Light thanked her in French and said goodbye, promising he would return again. "Any idea where to start?"

"L mentioned his dad was an English Professor at Cambridge. Maybe someone will remember him there? And his mother was a Physics doctorate student." He hadn't given much thought to the idea beyond getting Matt to agree to help. Now that the red head was in, they would have to sit down and discuss a game plan.

"I assume you want to keep this a secret from L?" Matt asked. "I'd better not tell Mel, then. He can't keep a secret to save his life."

"Thanks, Matt," Light said. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know the plan." He glanced at his watch. "I've gotta go. The decorator's supposed to come over at four." He smiled fondly, still amazed at the turn his life had taken.

"God, you're so domestic," Matt said with a groan. "Thankfully Mello's the one who deals with stuff like that. I think I'd go out of my mind with boredom. Have fun!" With a last hug, they parted ways, both thinking a mile a minute about the impromptu case they'd just agreed to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Story: **Illumination

**Chapter:** 2  
**Author:** MikoAkako  
**Beta: **ElizabellaLight  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings: **Suggestive language; mild cursing.  
**Pairing(s):** Light/L  
**Word count:** 2,144  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize.  
**Summary:** L has some bad news for Light.

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long. Midterms have been kicking my bum. Thank god they're (finally) over.

* * *

"RYUZAKI!" Light's voice broke the silence of their new house. There were still a handful of boxes scattered in each room, though Light had spent all his free time in the past week unpacking. There was a crash as a startled detective jumped and knocked the empty plate off his desk.

"Where the hell is my food, Ryuzaki?" Light asked, storming up the stairs and into one of the spare bedrooms L had claimed as his office, leaving the designated office for Light. He stood in the doorway, glaring daggers at the black haired man perched on a desk chair, seemingly absorbed in something on the computer screen.

"Light-kun is upset," He observed, not moving from his position.

"What gave it away?" Sarcasm evident in the younger man's voice.

"You only call me Ryuzaki when you're mad," He said seriously. Light rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," Light said, closing the distance between them until he was standing with his arms crossed behind the detective. "What did you do with my food, L?" His tone was carefully neutral but his eyes were narrowed.

"I threw it away," L said, finally turning away from the computer screen to glance innocently at his boyfriend. "It smelled bad."

"You. Threw. It. Away." Light was fuming, but L didn't flinch. "What am I supposed to eat then? And don't tell me to eat that garbage you call food. It's a miracle you're not four hundred pounds with the way you eat."

"Would Light-kun not love me if I gained weight?" L asked, tilting his head to the side in a way that still made Light's stomach flutter so many months later.

"That's not fair," the younger man insisted, shaking his head to get his hair out of his face. "You can't change the subject when I'm yelling at you." But it was over. Light's temper was dissipating with every passing second – he couldn't stay mad at L for long, even if they did fight often.

Their first fight had been stupid; they both realized that after the fact. It happened two months after they had returned from Japan. Light was tired and L was on the computer, as he frequently was, working on the current case one of his aliases had been hired for. L was so absorbed in his work he didn't hear Light slamming the cabinets and doors as he moved. Light in turn had started yelling at L for something or other – it didn't matter what. The fight has escalated to the point where Light had left the apartment. He'd spent the night at Wammy's with Mello and Matt, neither of whom seemed surprised to see him. Apparently they'd had a bet going on how long until Light and L got in their first major fight. From the grin on the normally somber blonde's face, he had won.

"Would it help if I told Light-kun I have made a reservation at a restaurant tonight?" L asked casually. Light refused to be placated so easily. He kept his arms firmly crossed and took a step away from L's chair.

"Depends on where," He said. "That bakery didn't count. Everything on the menu was made of sugar." The last time L had surprised Light with a meal, it had been a cute bakery that, while what they served was good, was mostly cakes and pastries. Everything L needed in a day, but nothing Light could eat without feeling sick.

"It's a surprise," L said, biting his thumb and gazing up at Light. He took more pleasure in tormenting Light than was necessary, but it still amused him to get a rise out of the normally stoic youth. "But I can assure Light-kun that he will find the food suitable." Light knew better than to press for more.

"Fine," He huffed, turning to leave. L caught his arm and he spun around to face the now standing detective who drew him in for a kiss. They both fought for dominance, but it was L who pulled away first and Light who tried to follow. "I still hate you." He said with a grin, a silent joke he knew L would understand.

"I expect Light-kun to be dressed in suitable clothing for our date," L said. Light humphed and turned to walk away, stopping at the door and looking back.

"I look good in anything," He stated, smirking. Not willing to be outdone, L's retorted followed Light as he walked down the stairs.

"Light-kun also looks good in nothing." He didn't have to see Light to know the younger man was blushing.

* * *

Light, to L's amusement, had locked himself in the master bathroom an hour before the time they would have to leave and hadn't been heard from since. L remembered a time when Light locking himself anywhere would have been grounds for suspicion. It was still hard, sometimes, to forget that feeling, but every day he was willing to trust Light more and more. He would never let Light know of his misgivings, though. At two minutes to six, Light emerged from the bathroom.

"You're not going out like that, L," Was the first thing out of his mouth. L was wearing his regular outfit – a baggy white t-shirt and faded jeans that were several sizes too large. Despite Light's insistence on buying him a full wardrobe – and replacing it every few months even though most of the items had only been worn once or twice – L still preferred the outfit that had become one of his signatures at Wammy's.

"In the time it takes for me to find another outfit, we will be late for our reservation," L said, for once glad of Light's obsessive grooming.

"Don't worry. I already got something out for you. Go change," He tossed a pair of black jeans and a red turtleneck sweater at L, who caught them easily. He glared at Light and moved into the bathroom to change.

"See? You look better already," L looked uncomfortable in the tighter clothing. He scowled at the grinning Light and stalked out of the room and down the stairs. He slipped on his black trainers, foregoing the socks just to annoy Light who was looking much too smug about getting L into a decent outfit.

The restaurant turned out to be just a few blocks away, not far enough to drive. They walked in silence, though Light quickly caught up to L and slipped his hand in the detective's bigger one. They still received a few odd glances from people they passed, but most ignored them. A few people's gaze lingered on L, and Light moved slightly closer, making the meaning clear. He was oblivious to the ones who cast similar gazes on him. They arrived just in time for their reservation and were shown to a table in the back corner, away from most of the other guests.

"What's the special occasion?" Light asked, taking in the price of the items on the menu. He couldn't find anything less than £75. He glanced up at L who was reading off the desert menu. Before L could answer, a waiter arrived to take their order. Light repeated his question when the man left.

"Why does Light-kun think there needs to be a special occasion for us to go out to dinner?" He put down the menu.

"Because the last time you took me out you said you were leaving for a week to go to Korea, and that place wasn't half as nice as this one," Realization dawned as he spoke, and his face fell. "How long are you leaving for this time?"

"I have been invited to go to the United States to help catch a serial murderer," L said. "I don't know how long it will take. Perhaps as long as a month." Light frowned. He hated when L left. He was fairly certain at this point, as was the psychiatrist he saw once a month, that the 'Kira' portion of his personality was gone for good, but the memory of the trauma was still too fresh. He would wake in the middle of the night with the sound of Kira's voice in his ear, invading his sanity. Those were the nights that L didn't come to bed. L represented safety to Light, a safety that he couldn't live without.

"And you leave when? In a week?" He hoped his voice didn't sound as dead to L as it did in his own ears.

"Wammy's arriving in two days to drive me to the airport," L hated to leave Light alone as well. He had always been a solitary person, but Light had broken that shell. Light constantly pressed him into situations he wouldn't otherwise have entered – such as going out to dinner. But it wasn't just that. Light was nearly his equal in intelligence, something he had not encountered before. He found life indescribably dull without Light.

"So you'll be back in time for the holidays?" Light asked. It was stupid, but he was looking forward to their first Christmas together. Neither of them were religious, but when Light had found out that L never celebrated Christmas, he decided he would show L what he had been missing all those years. Wammy's House, L explained, always made sure to decorate and distribute presents for the major holidays, but L had been too busy studying to enjoy any of them.

"Even if the case is not solved," L agreed. He knew Light was excited, though he still had a hard time dredging up enthusiasm for the celebration of the birth of someone that had happened thousands of years ago – in March. Light had tried to explain the spirit of Christmas, but he just settled for pretending to understand.

Their conversation moved on to lighter subjects after that, though their pending separation was weighing on both of their minds for the rest of the night. The food was good, perhaps not worth quite as much as they were charged but Light found the longer he lived with L, the less he cared about price. Although sometimes he felt bad for spending L's money. Until L gave him access to all of the varios bank accounts he had hidden away around the world. Then Light realized he could buy his own country and still have change enough to live the rest of his life comfortably.

"Didn't your parents grow up around here?" Light had been looking for an opportunity to broach the subject since his meeting with Matt a week ago. Now that L was leaving, he didn't have any time to waste. He only hoped he was being casual enough not to let L in on what he was planning. From the shocked look on L's face, he'd succeeded.

"Yes," He said softly. "We lived outside the town. It was cheaper. My mother worked in a lab when she didn't have classes, and my father was a professor." Light thought that was all L would say – L always changed the subject when it came to his parents, and Light didn't blame him. After a pause, L continued. "I believe he won an award for something, and it's still on display in the English Department. Why did you ask about them?"

"No reason," Light said, feeling a twinge of guilt in lying to L. "Just curious."

"Has Light-kun spoken with his own parents?" Relations with the rest of the Yagami's had been strained. Soichiro was less than pleased at his sons announcement that not only was he going back to England, but that he would be living with L as more than just a roommate. L had been carefully absent for the conversation, but from the way the two men didn't look at each other as they said goodbye, it was clear harsh words were spoken.

"I haven't," He admitted. "I've been busy with the move. But Sayu and Matsuda called a few days ago." Light spoke to his sister and brother-in-law frequently. They hadn't seen each other since the wedding, but Sayu mentioned they may come for a visit over the summer when she wasn't in classes. She was enrolled as an education major at To-Oh University. She wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. "I guess I can call mother tomorrow." He added grudgingly.

"I still can't believe you're leaving in two days," It was the first mention either of them had made to it since the night started. "And for so long."

"There's a lot that can be done in two days," L said, opening the door and walking in to their house.

"Oh yeah?" Light challenged, closing the door and locking it more out of habit than out of fear that someone would enter. "What do you have in mind?" L's lips on his were more than enough of an answer.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I bet you guys thought I was dead, huh? Updates will be regular from now on. I'm very sorry for the delay, and I have absolutely no excuse.

* * *

The next two days went quickly for L and Light. Both avoided the subject while silently preparing for the impending separation. For his part, L threw together a bag of clothing, mostly identical pants and shirts. The night before, Light secretly replaced L's bag with an identical one that contained what he considered more appropriate outfits for the world's three greatest detectives.

L wasn't asleep when Light got into their bed room, though he was pretending. Light stood in the doorway for a moment, just looking at his lover with a fond smile on his lips. The detective was turned away from Light, but despite that the auburn haired boy knew the man was still awake. L was never still in his sleep. At first the constant twisting had kept Light awake, but he'd quickly gotten used to it, and took pleasure in pulling L close to him and soothing his fears.

Instead of breaking the silence, Light flipped off the hall light and slid into bed. L still said nothing. Light lay for a few moments, eyes open facing the ceiling. He didn't want to fall asleep, because he knew that in the morning L would be leaving and he would be alone. That caused him to pause. Light of old never minded spending time alone. He preferred it, locking himself in his room as soon as he got home from school and avoiding most social outings his 'friends' engineered.

"Good night," Light said, aware that L heard him even though there was no response. Eventually Light drifted off, fitful dreams full of glowing red eyes and counting ceiling tiles.

xxxx

Their morning went by too quickly. Light woke to find L's side of the bed cold. He ran down the stairs, the panic giving way when he saw L sitting at the table on his laptop. He looked up, dark eyes flashing amusement. Light huffed, storming back up the stairs and into the bathroom. When he came down again he was showered and dressed and his hair wasn't sticking up at odd angles.

"When is Wammy getting here?" Light asked, pouring himself a bowl of the only cereal in the house not made of 99% sugar. He slid into the seat across from L.

"He is five minutes away," L said. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Light shrugged.

"I'll be fine here," He said, trying to sound light hearted. "It's coming up to finals and I'll probably be too busy to even know you're gone." Before L could respond, there was a knock at the door that could only belong to Wammy.

"Goodbye, L," Light said, not even bothering to stand as L did. L looked torn, standing for a moment and wavering between walking toward Light or toward the door. In the end he mumbled a goodbye and picked up his bag. Light watched L's retreating figure until the door closed. Then, taking a deep breath, he took another bite of his cereal.

After eating, Light delayed calling Matt. He cleaned the house from top to bottom. He scrubbed the kitchen, the bathrooms, the floor. By the time he was done, the house smelled of ammonia and Light's fingers looked like prunes. When he finally ran out of dirty things to clean, he grabbed the phone from where it was charging and dialed Matt's cell.

"Already missing L?" Matt asked, picking up on the first ring. Light decided to ignore that question and dive right in.

"Still going to help me figure out what happened to L's parents?"

"Sure," Light didn't need to see Matt to know he shrugged. "Mello's been riding me all week about getting out of the house. Something about attending classes…"

"I think our best bet will be talking to the people at the University who knew the Lawliets," Light said. He'd gone over the pathetic amount of information he had already gathered and tried to find any lead. "I'm sure there are still professors there who knew them."

"Are we just going to walk around and knock on doors asking if they knew anyone whose last name was Lawliet?" Matt asked, his sarcasm bleeding through the phone. Light rolled his eyes.

"Just meet me in the English building in twenty minutes." He hung up after Matt agreed, reluctantly, to get ready that quickly.

When Light made it to the old building that housed the English department, Mello was already waiting. There was a cigarette perched between his lips but his attention was on the game console in his hands. Light knew better than to interrupt, so he walked past and into the building without saying anything.

Once, Light made the mistake of talking to Matt while he was playing some game or other, and evidently it broke the gamer's concentration. Matt had refused to speak to him for a week, and it was only Mello's intercession that reversed Matt's freeze out.

There were display cases lining the walls of books and awards written by students and faculty. Light scanned each one, recognizing after the third shelf that they're arranged by year. He walked quickly, making a complete lap of the first floor before heading to the second, scanning the dates but ignoring the content. He made it to 1987 when Matt jogged up behind him. Despite his terrible smoking habit, he was in surprisingly good shape.

"Taking a sudden interest in Literature?" Matt asked.

"L mentioned his dad won an award that's still on display," Light explained, slowing down when he reached the approximate time. "He may have worked with other members of the faculty who will be listed on the award."

"Something like a Nobel Prize?" Matt was looking on the other side of the hall, but had stopped in front of a case. Light stood beside Matt, realizing he shouldn't be so surprised that L's dad had won such a prestigious award.

"He worked with a Dr. M. Hearns," Light said, running through the list of Literature professors who worked at Cambridge. "Professor Mark Hearns still teaches here. I saw a list of professors and their offices on the first floor."

They were in luck. As they approached the office listed for Professor Hearns, they were able to see it was slightly open. Light paused, stopping in his tracks and looking at the door. Matt glanced back, rolling his eyes. "Something wrong?"

"No," Light snorted. He needed to gather his thoughts before he walked in to the office. He'd had little to no training in interrogation, and he doubted acting like a cop would get them very far. He was considering leaving and coming back another time when Matt grabbed his arm and hauled him towards the office.

"Can I help you?" Despite their rude entrance, the man didn't look upset. He glanced up from a set of papers that he was grading, capping his pen and setting it down on the desk. "Which class are you in?"

"We're not in one of your classes, actually," Matt said, taking a seat. Light followed his lead, trying to get his bearings. "We're in the criminology program, and we came across a case involving Leonard and Setsuko Lawliet. You were listed as someone close to them?" The lies came easily to Matt, though Light caught the slightly stutter towards the end, and the way his voice rose that betrayed him. If Professor Hearns noticed anything, he didn't say so.

"I knew them, yes. But I wouldn't say we were close," He frowned, as if trying to remember something.

"I saw you won the Nobel Prize together," Light added. The display case was on the way to his office, so it wouldn't be an odd thing for them to notice.

"Oh yes. We worked together on that project. It was Leonard's idea, but it was in a subject I had been researching prior. He did most of the actual writing, while I supplied the facts. But no – If you want to talk to someone, you need to find Samuel. Uh…Last name Perse. I believe he still lives around here. He retired two years ago, actually." He pulled out a datebook from a drawer in his desk. "Ah! I have a number for him, actually."

After getting the number from Hearns, Light and Matt stood up. They thanked him again for his time and left. The number was clutched in Light's hand as they walked out. Classes must have just let out because the hallway was flooded with students. Rather than try and talk over everyone, Light made a beeline for the door.

Once outside, Light headed for a bench. He dialed the number as he sat down, listening to it ring once, twice…"Hello?"

"Is this Dr. Samuel Perse?" Light asked.

"Who's asking?"

"I'm calling regarding the case of Leonard and Setsuko Lawliet." He didn't get a chance to finish before Samuel Perse interrupted.

"Have there been any new developments?"

"We'd like to schedule a meeting with you. My partner and I are new to the case and we just want to double check everything in the records," He lied easily.

"I can come in anytime." Light had been expecting that.

"No need," Light said. "We don't want to inconvenience you any more than necessary. We can come to your house or meet for tea somewhere."

"Alright. Thursday at 11 work for you?" Light hung up after getting the address and directions to the house and thanking him again for his time.

"How exactly are you planning on proving you're with the police?" Matt asked, wasting no time in pulling out and lighting a cigarette. Light frowned, snatching the disgusting thing away from Matt and tossing it in the nearest trash bin.

"L has badges from every country," He said with a shrug. He'd found them while he was unpacking. He felt a brief tingle of guilt at using them without asking, but he brushed it aside. It had to be a good sign that he felt any guilt at all, after so long without. Besides, he rationalized; he would explain everything to L when they found answers. When he glanced over at Matt, he saw the question in his eyes, but thankfully the other man didn't say anything.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Miyami is a real place; I, obviously, do not own it.

* * *

Dr. Samuel Perse's house was a quick twenty minute drive, though Matt insisted he could have made the whole thing in five. Light didn't doubt it – he'd seen the gamer drive, which was exactly why he had insisted on being the one behind the wheel. The house was modestly sized in comparison to the behemoths beside it. When they turned in to the neighborhood of mansions, Light turned to Matt and asked him to double check the address. They were in the right place.

"Dr. Perse?" The man who opened the door looked to be in his late sixties or early seventies with a bald head and a face full of wrinkles. Light did the math quickly in his head. L's dad would have been 62 if he was still alive. "I'm Light Yagami. This is my partner, Matt."

"Please, come inside," Dr. Perse stepped aside, letting Light and Matt in. Light took a minute to look around, admiring the impeccable design. He let a smile curl his lips when he realized that a year ago he would have been envious of the huge house and priceless paintings. Ironically, he realized, he was probably richer than this man. Or L was, and so he was by extension, not that he was planning on taking L up on his offer.

A few minutes later they were sitting on the back porch, looking out at a manicured garden. Like all good Englishman, he told the maid to bring tea out. Light considered turning it down – he really wasn't that fond of tea – but he didn't want to come off as rude. He sipped the drink as they made small talk. Perse broke the reason for their visit first.

"Have you found any new leads on the Leonard and Setsuko?" Light set his drink down, mostly untouched. He glanced over at Matt, but the other was clearly zoning out. He rolled his eyes – Matt would be useless as L's successor if he couldn't even make small talk. Despite that, Light knew that Matt could probably recite their entire conversation word for word if he was asked.

"Nothing finite," He said. "But would you mind telling us anything you may have left out before?" He had a copy of the file tucked in his bag, courtesy of Matt's hacking skills. The gamer had insisted that no one would be able to see someone outside had accessed the file. He'd also found out that no one _in_ the agency had accessed the file in more than a decade, which upset Light.

There wasn't much different in this file than the original one Light had read so many months ago. Leonard and Setsuko Lawliet had been well liked by everyone who knew them, both of them big in the University life – Leonard as an English Professor and Setsuko as a doctoral student. Their son was already showing signs of being remarkable at five years. They'd left the child with a sitter on a Friday night and never returned. No one was sure exactly where they were last seen. They had gone to dinner at Miyama and then gone to the West End to see _Starlight Express_ at the 9:30 showing. They definitely made it to dinner – a waiter confirmed seeing them – but no one could determine if they made it to the theatre. And that was it. From there the trail had gone cold, and even L hadn't been able to pick it up.

"I told the two men who came everything," Perse said.

"Was there anywhere they visited on a regular basis? Any restaurant or entertainment spot where the staff may have known them?" Light didn't even pretend he was surprised at Matt's question. He was frustrated he hadn't thought to ask that question himself, but he knew Matt had more training than he did.

"Well," Perse frowned. "There was that one place. Ah…The little ethnic place on Somersham Road. The Diverse Diner! They went almost every Wednesday night around eight." Light dug through his memory, trying to remember if that had been mentioned in the report. He was pretty certain it hadn't, which meant that even if it was a dead end, at least it was a new lead. Several more questions from Matt led nowhere, but Light was already planning a trip to The Diverse Diner.

"Did you know their son?" Light asked. Perse's face softened as he nodded.

"He was brilliant, which isn't surprising considering his parents. But even at five – that's how old he was the last time I saw him – there was something different about him." Imagining L as a child escaped Light. He was equal parts sad and glad he and L hadn't met when they were younger. Light's encounter with the Death Note wasn't the first time he'd done something morally questionable. Or morally wrong, depending on how you look at it. Or maybe if L had come in to his life sooner, he would have realized that much sooner. As much as he wanted to believe that, he doubted it would have been the case. More likely, they would have hated each other and never realized how similar they actually were.

"I tried to get custody of him, actually." Perse's words shook Light from his musings. L had never mentioned that, but he may not have known. As far as Light knew, L had never met Perse. "But then some older man came and took him away and…I haven't seen him since then. I tried several times to get in contact with him those first few years. It's one of my biggest regrets…"

"That you didn't stay in contact with the son of your friend?" Light asked, curious.

"I promised Leonard that if anything happened to him, I would watch after L." A sad smile appeared on Perse's face, and he wiped at his eyes before any tears could fall.

"Did Leonard think something was going to happen to him?" Light asked, leaning forward and feeling the table dig in to his chest. Perse shook his head slightly.

"I'm not sure," He admitted. "About two months before they went missing, Leonard made me promise. When I asked if anything was wrong, he told me all parents worry about what would happen to their child if they weren't there. I didn't have any reason to think he knew something." A look of horror crossed his face. "You don't think…?"

"It's possible they were expecting something to happen," Light admitted. He wanted someone to blame for L's sadness, but couldn't bring himself to place that on Perse who clearly looked devastated even almost three decades later. "But you couldn't have been expected to know. All that matters if that you remembered now. Thank you."

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting in the car. Light had to fight every moment for control, but Matt didn't seem to notice anything was wrong. That made Light feel a little better – he felt that lately he was as transparent to the gamer as most people were to him, and that was slightly alarming. He liked to control what other people thought of him. He smiled wryly, wondering what Doctor Lovell would say about that admission.

"So, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Matt asked once they turned out of the neighborhood.

"I doubt it," Light said. "Mello doesn't feature in any of my thoughts." Matt chuckled, pulling out a cigarette and almost lighting it before Light reached over and grabbed it, shoving it in his jacket pocket out of the gamer's reach.

"I can stay focused on the task," Matt said, pulling out another cigarette from his pack. Light rolled his eyes, deciding it just wasn't worth it to argue at this point. "Anyway, I think we need to go visit that restaurant. Wednesday at eight work for you?"

"Bring Mello." Matt looked over at him as if to gauge if he was serious. Light and Mello would never get along, but Light could admit when he was in over his head. Plus, despite Matt's skill at detective work, Mello was a thousand times better. Neither were as good as L, but together they may be able to be a fraction as effective. He told Matt as much.

"Sounds like fun." He pulled up to the dorm building Matt lived in, but left the car idling. "If you get lonely this weekend, I'm sure I could convince Mels to invite you for a threesome."

"Never happening," Light said, wrinkling his nose and turning away from Matt's chuckling as the gamer got out of the car.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **This chapter is pretty much nothing, sorry about that. There are a few tidbits that are important for the plot later on. The ending is just...I dunno - practice?

Please note that the rating has increased to M as of this chapter. As always, I'm more than willing to send a clean version if you want (or you can just stop reading after the page break down at the bottom).

* * *

Paying attention in his classes the next day proved to be impossible for Light. He could bluff his way through most of his classes thanks to 20 years of never giving more than a fraction of his ability. His thoughts were focused, instead, on the case at hand.

He, Mello and Matt were going to visit the restaurant on Wednesday, but he needed something to do to pass the five days until then. Without L, his life seemed empty. He had plenty to do – three papers and a test all due in the next two weeks – but that was it. Before, the school work had been enough to keep him busy. Before he wouldn't have noticed that the bed was always cold and the dishes always washed. He'd never missed that the sugar tin was always empty when he wanted to indulge and add a spoonful to his coffee. And Before he had never spent every minute alone worried that he would suddenly feel the urge to kill people.

It was a stupid, irrational fear .Kira was gone, had been gone for months and would stay gone. Dr. Lovell had explained that to him every session and yet he still had trouble believing it. But as the weeks dragged on and Light's mid remained his own, it was getting easier. He doubted the worry would ever truly go away.

Light wasn't fully aware of his intentions when he found himself standing in the physics building after his last class. He joined the stream of students, slowing to look at several projects posted on the wall at intervals. He had never really enjoyed physics, though he knew enough to understand the theory behind most of what he read. He was just about ready to turn away when a picture of a woman and two men smiling at the camera – a pretty Japanese woman.

The resemblance between her and L was subtle, but it was there. They had the same black hair, though hers was tamed. And there was something about the nose, the angle of the jaw and the eyes. There were two men standing beside her. The caption under the picture identified them as Dr. Rafael Dragotto, and graduate students Setsuko Lawliet and Nikolas Floyd.

The picture told Light nothing he didn't already know. He made a mental note to check for the two people mentioned, but he had glanced at the list of professors in the lobby and he didn't recognize either of the names. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but wonder if L had ever seen the picture. As if thinking of his boyfriend summoned him, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"L?" He ducked in to an empty classroom, sitting on a desk and resting his bag on the floor. "How's America?"

"I miss England," L said. "Though there is plenty of variety of new foods to try."

"Anything that doesn't consist of sugar?"

L scoffed and Light took that for a no. He'd known the answer before he asked, but he would never stop trying to make L eat right, just like L would never stop trying to get Light to eat like a five year old. "How's the case going?"

"Slowly," L admitted. "However I expect to be finished in a few weeks, barring any major setbacks. The person responsible is intelligent and has left minimum clues at the scenes. Would you like me to send you the file?"

"If you want, though I doubt I can see anything you can't." Light's thoughts were already wandering back to his own case.

"Is Light-kun distracted?" L must have heard that Light wasn't giving him his full attention.

"Just a project I'm working on." Light avoided answering the question, hoping L would buy the excuse and not pry. He let out a sigh of relief when L changed the subject. They were in the middle of a debate on the merits of reality television when Light heard Wammy's voice in the background.

"I will call Light-kun tonight," L said after Wammy told him something. They said goodbye briefly and the line went dead.

Instead of going home, Light went directly to the main library and logged on to the computer. There were a few students studying, but compared to the rest of the week, Friday afternoons were almost deserted in the library. Tests were over and people wanted a break before the next week started. It was only because of that that Light was able to get a computer without waiting. His fingers hovered over the keyboard before typing in the search bar.

_Setsuko Lawliet. _The search only had a few results. A few were the news articles posted after the disappearance. Those had all been in the file Light had first seen. He scrolled past those, clicking on a journal article posted by her and the men she'd been pictured with. Grabbing a sticky note, he wrote down the location and logged out.

Finding his way through the library was a maze. He'd only been there a few times before, and never had he been to the science section. After almost ten minutes of searching he found the book and pulled it out. He flipped to the 'About the Authors' section at the front, skimming until he found the blurb about Setsuko.

'_Setsuko Lawliet, 25, is a graduate student in the Physics department of Cambridge University. She moved to London to attend Cambridge when she was 17. Her research in the area of Quantum mechanics has already set her apart, but she has also done research in Chemical Physics with Dr. Thomas Wammy.' _

Light stopped reading, going back to the beginning and starting again. Thomas Wammy? He'd never heard L's mentor mention a relative here. Did L even know about it? Surely there was no reason for Wammy to hold back the information.

He wouldn't pursue the subject any further unless their dinner on Wednesday hit a dead end. He'd known Wammy for over a year, and he had a hard time believing the old man would do anything that would hurt L. Wammy had given up any semblance of a normal life to take care of L. And yet…

He made a photocopy of the page so he wouldn't have to find the book again and left the library. He would call Matt in the morning and ask him what he thought about this new development. More than likely, Matt already knew and would tell him how stupid he was being.

* * *

_ The phone rang, waking him from a nightmare and sending him running across the house to grab it from where he left it the night before after talking to L. "Open the door, Light-kun."_

_He threw the phone down without hanging up. He opened the door and stood in shock. L was standing in front of him, shoulders hunched and looking down at the ground until the door opened. "I lost the key." _

_Light couldn't be upset – even though he'd told L multiple times not to put the key somewhere he would leave it. He threw himself at L, clinging to his boyfriend. L's arms wrapped around him too, strong and safe. _

_And then the embrace turned into kissing; feverish and frantic kisses. It was as though they had been separated for longer than two weeks. L's touch set his skin burning, just as it had every time since the first. The heat pooled at the skin, traveling down. _

_Somehow they made it up to the bedroom, L controlling the situation and Light not caring enough to try and fight it. He fell against the bed, hooking one leg up over L's waist and grinding their hips together. The friction wasn't enough, and they both began rocking desperately. _

_Light wanted to drag it out, but he missed L so much, and there would be plenty of time for slow and gentle later. Instead, he kissed L's fiercely, arching his back and increasing the pressure until he was balanced at the edge. _

_One more thrust was enough and they both climaxed together. When the waves of pleasure subsided, L fell limp beside Light, his arm draped loosely over the younger boy's abdomen. Light lifted his head, kissing L sweetly. "I love you." _

When Light opened his eyes again, there was no sign that L had been there. He was sleeping strewn across the couch in the living room, the phone resting on the floor beside his hand. When the realization hit him that it was all a dream, he sat up with a sigh. He couldn't wait for L to return. Thoughts of Wammy's relative were pushed aside, forgotten.


End file.
